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Enya Daynes,1,2 Linzy Houchen-Wolloff,1,2 Amy C Barradell,1,2 Neil J Greening,1,2 Sally J Singh1,2 1Leicester NIHR Biomedical Research Centre Respiratory, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, UK; 2Department of Respiratory Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UKCorrespondence: Enya Daynes, NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre- Respiratory, Glenfield Hospital, Groby Road, Leicester, UK, Email enya.daynes@uhl-tr.nhs.ukIntroduction: The High Frequency Airway Oscillating device (HFAO) was developed to help patients with COPD feel less breathless through flow resistive respiratory muscle training and fixed rate oscillations. Previous work has demonstrated that this device can improve inspiratory muscle strength over and above a sham device. Both groups improved their breathlessness and preserved clinical benefits though there were no statistically significant differences seen over and above the sham device. It is important to understand patient perceptions of using a device and how this may influence their treatment and therefore a qualitative analysis was conducted to understand participant experiences of a HFAO device.Methods: This was an exploratory qualitative analysis involving participants recruited to the Training to Improve Dyspnoea (TIDe) study. Participants completed a satisfaction survey and were invited to take part in a focus group. Focus groups were conducted by a researcher independent to the randomised controlled trial. Data was analysed independently by two researchers using inductive thematic analysis, and themes/sub-themes were agreed jointly. Data is presented in themes and sub themes and triangulated with survey response data.Results: Fourteen participants were recruited to two focus groups (71% male, mean [SD] age 64[9] years). The key themes were patient selection, device use, and investment. Patient selection explores the disease characteristics, emotional impact and management of care. Device use explores the device prescription and usage, routine and lifestyle and effectiveness. Investment covers accessibility, understanding, benefits vs participation and overall perceptions of the device.Conclusion: This research demonstrates the complexity of device interventions and that key considerations should be given to patient selection, the device use itself and, the time and cost investment required for participants to successfully implement the device into daily life.Keywords: COPD, breathlessness, qualitative

Background There is evidence to support COVID-19 rehabilitation programmes improving persistent COVID-19 symptoms; however, there is concern that therapies that include an exercise component may increase fatigue and post-exertional symptom exacerbation (PESE). The objectives of the present study were to determine the effect of a 6-week COVID-19 rehabilitation programme on fatigue and PESE in individuals with ongoing COVID-19 symptoms. Methods After a routine medical assessment, individuals with persistent COVID-19 symptoms were enrolled on a 6-week COVID-19 specific rehabilitation programme. The programme included symptom-titrated exercise, education and self-management advice. Fatigue was assessed pre- and post-programme using the Functional Assessment Chronic Illness Therapy Fatigue questionnaire (FACIT). Exercise capacity (Incremental and Endurance Shuttle Walking Test (ISWT and ESWT)) and PESE (DePaul Symptom Questionnaire (DSQ)) were also assessed pre- and post-programme. Composite scores were calculated for the frequency and severity domains of the DSQ. Results 148 patients (median (IQR) age 59 (49–72) years, 82 (55%) female, 81 (54%) hospitalised) completed the COVID-19 rehabilitation programme. FACIT score was reduced pre- to post-programme by a mean (CI) change of −5 (−7– −4); p

Background The long-term outcomes of COVID-19 hospitalisation in individuals with pre-existing airway diseases are unknown. Methods Adult participants hospitalised for confirmed or clinically suspected COVID-19 and discharged between 5 March 2020 and 31 March 2021 were recruited to the Post-hospitalisation COVID-19 (PHOSP-COVID) study. Participants attended research visits at 5 months and 1 year post discharge. Clinical characteristics, perceived recovery, burden of symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of individuals with pre-existing airway disease (i.e., asthma, COPD or bronchiectasis) were compared to the non-airways group. Results A total of 615 out of 2697 (22.8%) participants had a history of pre-existing airway diseases (72.0% diagnosed with asthma, 22.9% COPD and 5.1% bronchiectasis). At 1 year, the airways group participants were less likely to feel fully recovered (20.4% versus 33.2%, p

Background: An individual's characteristics are reported to influence access, completion and outcomes of pulmonary rehabilitation and may contribute to health inequalities. Many countries have policies to promote equity among individuals’ characteristics, including the UK Equality Act 2010 which lists nine protected characteristics (age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation). Objectives: To describe the extent to which UK Equality Act 2010 protected characteristics have been collected and reported in UK studies and audits of pulmonary rehabilitation. Methods: A scoping review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Reviews guidelines was conducted using five databases. UK studies and audits collecting data on pulmonary rehabilitation from 1 October 2010 (date of Equality Act 2010 inception) were eligible. The protected characteristics collected and how they were reported were extracted. Results: Out of 45 included studies and audits (41 studies and four audits), 98% (k=44) reported age. Sex was reported in 40% (k=18), and 20% (k=9) reported gender with only male and female categories. Half (50%, k=2) of audits reported gender with male, female and transgender categories. Race was reported through ethnicity in 2% (k=1) of studies and 75% (k=3) of audits. No studies or audits explicitly reported disability, but all reported measures indicating disease severity (e.g. forced expiratory volume in 1 s % predicted: 67%, k=30). No studies or audits reported marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief or sexual orientation. Conclusions: Protected characteristics are not commonly reported or are inconsistently reported in UK pulmonary rehabilitation studies and audits. Without reporting these characteristics, health inequalities in pulmonary rehabilitation will remain unclear.

Background Pre-existing cardiovascular disease (CVD) or cardiovascular risk factors have been associated with an increased risk of complications following hospitalisation with COVID-19, but their impact on the rate of recovery following discharge is not known.Objectives To determine whether the rate of patient-perceived recovery following hospitalisation with COVID-19 was affected by the presence of CVD or cardiovascular risk factors.Methods In a multicentre prospective cohort study, patients were recruited following discharge from the hospital with COVID-19 undertaking two comprehensive assessments at 5 months and 12 months. Patients were stratified by the presence of either CVD or cardiovascular risk factors prior to hospitalisation with COVID-19 and compared with controls with neither. Full recovery was determined by the response to a patient-perceived evaluation of full recovery from COVID-19 in the context of physical, physiological and cognitive determinants of health.Results From a total population of 2545 patients (38.8% women), 472 (18.5%) and 1355 (53.2%) had CVD or cardiovascular risk factors, respectively. Compared with controls (n=718), patients with CVD and cardiovascular risk factors were older and more likely to have had severe COVID-19. Full recovery was significantly lower at 12 months in patients with CVD (adjusted OR (aOR) 0.62, 95% CI 0.43 to 0.89) and cardiovascular risk factors (aOR 0.66, 95% CI 0.50 to 0.86).Conclusion Patients with CVD or cardiovascular risk factors had a delayed recovery at 12 months following hospitalisation with COVID-19. Targeted interventions to reduce the impact of COVID-19 in patients with cardiovascular disease remain an unmet need.Trail registration number ISRCTN10980107.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can lead to ongoing symptoms such as breathlessness, fatigue and muscle pain, which can have a substantial impact on an individual. Exercise-based rehabilitation programmes have proven beneficial in many long-term conditions that share similar symptoms. These programmes have favourably influenced breathlessness, fatigue and pain, while also increasing functional capacity. Exercise-based rehabilitation may benefit those with ongoing symptoms following COVID-19. However, some precautions may be necessary prior to embarking on an exercise programme. Areas of concern include ongoing complex lung pathologies, such as fibrosis, cardiovascular abnormalities and fatigue, and concerns regarding post-exertional symptom exacerbation. This article addresses these concerns and proposes that an individually prescribed, symptom-titrated exercise-based intervention may be of value to individuals following infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

BackgroundCaregiving can affect people of all ages and can have significant negative health impacts on family caregivers themselves. Research has shown that social support acts as a buffer against many negative health impacts. A common source of social support is support groups. Although traditionally, these groups were conducted in a face-to-face setting, the advent of the internet, social media applications, and the smartphone have seen online support groups (OSGs) develop as a space where many caregivers seek support. The number of OSGs has increased exponentially, but there is no clear consensus on what factors or characteristics of OSGs contribute to social support development within them or what types of OSGs are available to family caregivers. ObjectiveThis study aimed to conduct a scoping review to contribute to the understanding of the types and characteristics of OSGs for family caregivers. MethodsFollowing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines, the CINAHL, PsychInfo, Psych Articles, Social Sciences, Communication Source, Medline, and Web of Science databases were searched for studies (caregiver focused, adults aged 18 years or older, online social support groups, caring for a living person, peer-reviewed journal publications on empirical research). In total, 19 studies were included in the review. The research questions were (1) what type of social support groups are online for adult family caregivers, (2) what the communication mediums and characteristics of these OSGs are, and (3) what psychosocial or other factors make OSGs successful or unsuccessful for participants. ResultsIn response to the first research question, we found that the majority of OSGs took place on public text-based forums and were illness specific. Where demographics were reported, participants were predominately women, White, and working with university-level education. There were a variety of caregiving relationships. For the second research question, the most common communication medium found was text-based communication, with the use of emojis, photos, and GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) files as part of these exchanges. Most frequently, the OSGs were asynchronous with a degree of anonymity, not time-limited by the frequency of contact or duration, and moderated by peer or professional moderators or facilitators. Results for the third research question explored the overarching categories of safe communication and engagement and group management. These described successful OSGs as having a focus on similar others with shared lived experiences communicated in a nonjudgmental space overseen by trained peer or professional facilitators. ConclusionsThere are several key considerations for OSGs to be successful for family caregivers. A general recommendation for practitioners is to give importance to building active moderation and multifaceted structures of support to meet different levels of caregiver needs and the ability to engage.

Objective Identify prevalence of self-reported swallow, communication, voice and cognitive compromise following hospitalisation for COVID-19.Design Multicentre prospective observational cohort study using questionnaire data at visit 1 (2–7 months post discharge) and visit 2 (10–14 months post discharge) from hospitalised patients in the UK. Lasso logistic regression analysis was undertaken to identify associations.Setting 64 UK acute hospital Trusts.Participants Adults aged >18 years, discharged from an admissions unit or ward at a UK hospital with COVID-19.Main outcome measures Self-reported swallow, communication, voice and cognitive compromise.Results Compromised swallowing post intensive care unit (post-ICU) admission was reported in 20% (188/955); 60% with swallow problems received invasive mechanical ventilation and were more likely to have undergone proning (p=0.039). Voice problems were reported in 34% (319/946) post-ICU admission who were more likely to have received invasive (p

Rationale There is conflicting evidence whether aerobic exercise training (AET) reduces pulse wave velocity (PWV) in adults with and without long-term conditions (LTCs).Objective To explore whether PWV improves with AET in adults with and without LTC, to quantify the magnitude of any effect and understand the influence of the exercise prescription.Data sources CENTRAL, MEDLINE and EMBASE were among the databases searched.Eligibility criteria We included studies with a PWV measurement before and after supervised AET of at least 3 weeks duration. Exclusion criteria included resistance exercise and alternative measures of arterial stiffness.Design Controlled trials were included in a random effects meta-analysis to explore the effect of AET on PWV. Uncontrolled studies were included in a secondary meta-analysis and meta-regression exploring the effect of patient and programme factors on change in PWV. The relevant risk of bias tool was used for each study design.Results 79 studies (n=3729) were included: 35 controlled studies (21 randomised control trials (RCT) (n=1240) and 12 non-RCT (n=463)) and 44 uncontrolled (n=2026). In the controlled meta- analysis, PWV was significantly reduced following AET (mean (SD) 11 (7) weeks) in adults with and without LTC (mean difference −0.63; 95% CI −0.82 to −0.44; p

Shortages of drugs and medical devices have tended to increase in France and worldwide, with consequences for patients and healthcare professionals. Preventing shortages of health products has become a priority for regulatory authorities, including the French National Agency for Medicines and Health Products Safety (ANSM). To highlight perspectives for a better prevention, we described and analyzed the management of shortages in the availability of health products in France over the last 10 years. The supply chain was mapped to identify the main causes of shortages and stakeholders involved in managing shortages throughout the supply chain. National and European initiatives and regulatory measures were reviewed. A retrospective nationwide data analysis from the French reporting system of health product shortage reports was conducted over 10 years for drugs (2013–2022) and over an 18-month period for medical devices, from 1st March 2022 to 31st August 2023. An increase in drug shortage reports was observed, rising from 404 in 2013 to 3,761 in 2022 for drugs, with a relatively constant distribution of affected therapeutic classes. In 2022, the main reported causes of drug shortage risk were insufficient production capacity (27.1%), increased sales volume (21.5%), or lack of supply (13.6%). Over half of the reports on medical devices (55.4%) were objectified as indispensable, and their causes were mainly due to a lack of supply (48.2%), discontinuation of marketing (14.9%), increased sales volume (13.2%), and regulatory reasons (9.6%). ANSM and French authorities have engaged a public health policy for prevention and management of health product shortages including financial penalties, minimum safety stocks for Major Therapeutic Interest drugs, and a shortage management plan. Based on 10 years of experience, four priority measures have been identified to anticipate the risk of heath products shortages based: the importance of a national coordination from raw materials to local market, the implementation of new prevention and management actions in the supply chain, strengthening European cooperation and regulation including the establishment of a list of critical drugs, and promoting transparency and information.

The stiffness and toughness of topology optimised structures containing lattices under three-point bending is studied. A porosity constraint is introduced to control the proportion of lattice generated while optimising the beams for minimum compliance. A novel tetrahedron element-based lattice with tapered trusses and a near-isotropic elastic response is developed to accurately map the relative densities from topology optimisation to a 3D printable structure. Topology optimised solid structures (0 % porosity), used for benchmarking, are found to have high stiffness but can be susceptible to buckling. At the other extreme, structures comprising entirely of lattice (100 % porosity) are shown to have low initial stiffness and low residual toughness. An experimental parametric study reveals that porosity can be tailored between these two bounds to achieve both high stiffness and high residual toughness.

Abstract Introduction Many adults hospitalised with COVID-19 have persistent symptoms such as fatigue, breathlessness and brain fog that limit day-to-day activities. These symptoms can last over 2 years. Whilst there is limited controlled studies on interventions that can support those with ongoing symptoms, there has been some promise in rehabilitation interventions in improving function and symptoms either using face-to-face or digital methods, but evidence remains limited and these studies often lack a control group. Methods and analysis This is a nested single-blind, parallel group, randomised control trial with embedded qualitative evaluation comparing rehabilitation (face-to-face or digital) to usual care and conducted within the PHOSP-COVID study. The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of rehabilitation interventions on exercise capacity, quality of life and symptoms such as breathlessness and fatigue. The primary outcome is the Incremental Shuttle Walking Test following the eight week intervention phase. Secondary outcomes include measures of function, strength and subjective assessment of symptoms. Blood inflammatory markers and muscle biopsies are an exploratory outcome. The interventions last eight weeks and combine symptom-titrated exercise therapy, symptom management and education delivered either in a face-to-face setting or through a digital platform ( www.yourcovidrecovery.nhs.uk ). The proposed sample size is 159 participants, and data will be intention-to-treat analyses comparing rehabilitation (face-to-face or digital) to usual care. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval was gained as part of the PHOSP-COVID study by Yorkshire and the Humber Leeds West Research NHS Ethics Committee, and the study was prospectively registered on the ISRCTN trial registry (ISRCTN13293865). Results will be disseminated to stakeholders, including patients and members of the public, and published in appropriate journals. Article summary Strengths and limitations of this study • This protocol utilises two interventions to support those with ongoing symptoms of COVID-19 • This is a two-centre parallel-group randomised controlled trial • The protocol has been supported by patient and public involvement groups who identified treatments of symptoms and activity limitation as a top priority

This study aims to examine whether the association between life satisfaction and depressive symptoms in young carers was moderated by social participation. Cross-sectional data were extracted from the 7th wave of the European Social Survey. Our sample included 673 young carers and 1606 non-carers (aged 14–18 years) drawn from 21 participating countries who completed measures of life satisfaction, social participation and depression symptoms. As expected lower life satisfaction predicted higher symptoms of depression in young carers but social participation did not. However, as predicted, social participation moderated the relationship between life satisfaction and depression, with young carers who had higher life satisfaction and higher social participation experiencing lower levels of depression symptoms. Further, this effect was strongest in those with the highest rates of social participation with peers. The implications of the link between life satisfaction, social participation and depressive symptoms in young carers is discussed.

Abstract Background The number of individuals recovering from severe COVID-19 is increasing rapidly. However, little is known about physical behaviours that make up the 24-h cycle within these individuals. This study aimed to describe physical behaviours following hospital admission for COVID-19 at eight months post-discharge including associations with acute illness severity and ongoing symptoms. Methods One thousand seventy-seven patients with COVID-19 discharged from hospital between March and November 2020 were recruited. Using a 14-day wear protocol, wrist-worn accelerometers were sent to participants after a five-month follow-up assessment. Acute illness severity was assessed by the WHO clinical progression scale, and the severity of ongoing symptoms was assessed using four previously reported data-driven clinical recovery clusters. Two existing control populations of office workers and individuals with type 2 diabetes were comparators. Results Valid accelerometer data from 253 women and 462 men were included. Women engaged in a mean ± SD of 14.9 ± 14.7 min/day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), with 12.1 ± 1.7 h/day spent inactive and 7.2 ± 1.1 h/day asleep. The values for men were 21.0 ± 22.3 and 12.6 ± 1.7 h /day and 6.9 ± 1.1 h/day, respectively. Over 60% of women and men did not have any days containing a 30-min bout of MVPA. Variability in sleep timing was approximately 2 h in men and women. More severe acute illness was associated with lower total activity and MVPA in recovery. The very severe recovery cluster was associated with fewer days/week containing continuous bouts of MVPA, longer total sleep time, and higher variability in sleep timing. Patients post-hospitalisation with COVID-19 had lower levels of physical activity, greater sleep variability, and lower sleep efficiency than a similarly aged cohort of office workers or those with type 2 diabetes. Conclusions Those recovering from a hospital admission for COVID-19 have low levels of physical activity and disrupted patterns of sleep several months after discharge. Our comparative cohorts indicate that the long-term impact of COVID-19 on physical behaviours is significant.

Abstract Background Musculoskeletal pain is more common in individuals with chronic respiratory diseases than the aged-matched general population. This investigation aimed to understand the prevalence and impact of hip and knee pain on pulmonary rehabilitation outcomes and completion rates. Methods Participants who experienced hip/knee pain in the 4 weeks prior to pulmonary rehabilitation completed an Oxford Hip and/or Knee Score alongside a routine pulmonary rehabilitation assessment. Participants engaged in a twice-weekly, 6-week outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation programme. A 1:1 propensity score match for age, sex, BMI, sessions attended and MRC score was completed prior to group comparison for a pulmonary rehabilitation cohort without hip/knee pain. Results 6.5% (n = 97) of pulmonary rehabilitation participants reported pain: hip (n = 27), knee (n = 40) or hip and knee pain (n = 30). 75 participants with hip/knee pain provided sufficient data for pre pulmonary rehabilitation matching and were propensity matched with a pulmonary rehabilitation group without hip/knee pain. The average Oxford Score across all reported joints was 28.7 (8.5) indicating moderate/severe pain at baseline. Statistically significant improvements were made in Oxford Scores for the left hip, left knee and right knee (P

Summary: Background: The scale of COVID-19 and its well documented long-term sequelae support a need to understand long-term outcomes including frailty. Methods: This prospective cohort study recruited adults who had survived hospitalisation with clinically diagnosed COVID-19 across 35 sites in the UK (PHOSP-COVID). The burden of frailty was objectively measured using Fried's Frailty Phenotype (FFP). The primary outcome was the prevalence of each FFP group—robust (no FFP criteria), pre-frail (one or two FFP criteria) and frail (three or more FFP criteria)—at 5 months and 1 year after discharge from hospital. For inclusion in the primary analysis, participants required complete outcome data for three of the five FFP criteria. Longitudinal changes across frailty domains are reported at 5 months and 1 year post-hospitalisation, along with risk factors for frailty status. Patient-perceived recovery and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) were retrospectively rated for pre-COVID-19 and prospectively rated at the 5 month and 1 year visits. This study is registered with ISRCTN, number ISRCTN10980107. Findings: Between March 5, 2020, and March 31, 2021, 2419 participants were enrolled with FFP data. Mean age was 57.9 (SD 12.6) years, 933 (38.6%) were female, and 429 (17.7%) had received invasive mechanical ventilation. 1785 had measures at both timepoints, of which 240 (13.4%), 1138 (63.8%) and 407 (22.8%) were frail, pre-frail and robust, respectively, at 5 months compared with 123 (6.9%), 1046 (58.6%) and 616 (34.5%) at 1 year. Factors associated with pre-frailty or frailty were invasive mechanical ventilation, older age, female sex, and greater social deprivation. Frail participants had a larger reduction in HRQoL compared with before their COVID-19 illness and were less likely to describe themselves as recovered. Interpretation: Physical frailty and pre-frailty are common following hospitalisation with COVID-19. Improvement in frailty was seen between 5 and 12 months although two-thirds of the population remained pre-frail or frail. This suggests comprehensive assessment and interventions targeting pre-frailty and frailty beyond the initial illness are required. Funding: UK Research and Innovation and National Institute for Health Research.

BackgroundAt the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, unprecedented pressure was placed on health care services globally. An opportunity to alleviate this pressure was to introduce a digital health platform that provided COVID-19–related advice and helped individuals understand and manage their COVID-19 symptoms. Therefore, in July 2020, the Your COVID Recovery website was launched by the National Health Service of England with the aim of creating a practical tool that provides advice and support to individuals recovering from COVID-19. The website includes information on many of the key COVID-19 symptoms. To date, public use of the Your COVID Recovery website and user behavior remain unknown. However, this information is likely to afford insight into the impact of the website and most commonly experienced COVID-19 symptoms. ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate public use of the Your COVID Recovery website, a digital health platform that provides support to individuals recovering from COVID-19, and determine user behavior during its first year of operation. MethodsGoogle Analytics software that was integrated into the Your COVID Recovery website was used to assess website use and user behavior between July 31, 2020, and July 31, 2021. Variables that were tracked included the number of users, user country of residence, traffic source, number of page views, number of session views, and mean session duration. User data were compared to COVID-19 case data downloaded from the UK government’s website. ResultsDuring the study period, 2,062,394 users accessed the Your COVID Recovery website. The majority of users were located in the United Kingdom (1,265,061/2,062,394, 61.30%) and accessed the website via a search engine (1,443,057/2,062,394, 69.97%). The number of daily website users (n=15,298) peaked on January 18, 2021, during the second wave of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom. The most frequently visited pages after the home page were for the following COVID-19 symptoms: Cough (n=550,190, 12.17%), Fatigue (n=432,421, 9.56%), Musculoskeletal pain (n=406,859, 9.00%), Taste and smell (n=270,599, 5.98%), and Breathlessness (n=203,136, 4.49%). The average session duration was 1 minute 13 seconds. ConclusionsA large cohort of individuals actively sought help with their COVID-19 recovery from the website, championing the potential of this tool to target an unmet health care need. User behavior demonstrated that individuals were primarily seeking advice on how to relieve and manage COVID-19 symptoms, especially symptoms of cough, fatigue, and musculoskeletal pain. COVID-19 rehabilitation programs should use the results of this study to ensure that the program content meets the needs of the post–COVID-19 population.

Introduction Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a leading cause of disability and is characterised by degenerative changes causing pain and loss of function. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) has been shown to influence muscle size and strength in healthy subjects. A novel self-administered NMES device has been developed to help manage the symptoms of KOA. This study aims to investigate the effects of combining NMES of the calf and quadriceps on individuals with KOA.Methods and analysis 193 individuals with KOA will be recruited to a single-centre, double-blind, randomised, sham-controlled trial at the Respiratory Biomedical Research Centre, Leicester, UK. Participants will be randomised (1:1) to follow an 8-week home-based intervention using a NMES device or sham device. The NMES device consists of footplate electrodes and two quadriceps electrodes. Footplate stimulation will be completed daily for 30 min and quadriceps stimulation for 20 min, five times a week (compliance is recorded in a self-reported participant diary). The primary outcome is the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index pain domain, taken at 8 weeks follow-up. Secondary outcomes will explore quadriceps muscle strength, swelling, health-related quality of life, exercise capacity, anxiety and depression, sleep, physical activity and self-reported compliance. A powered subgroup analysis for compliance to the active device will be complete for the primary outcome. Participant focus groups will be completed following recruitment of half of the participants and after all participants have been recruited.Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval has been obtained from the North-West Preston ethics committee (17/NW/0081). Participants are required to provide informed consent following review of the participant information sheet and discussion regarding study procedures with a member of the research team. The study results will be disseminated to the appropriate stakeholders through presentations, conferences and peer-reviewed journals. Results will be presented to participants following study completion at the Biomedical Research Centre—Respiratory, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester.Trial registration number ISRCTN registry, ISRCTN12112819 (date registered 1 May 2019). IRAS registry 219 693. University Hospitals of Leicester registry 91 017. Protocol Version 8.

Objectives To describe the early data from the Your COVID Recovery® digital programme and to explore the data collected from two embedded outcome measures.Design Observational.Setting Primary and secondary care (England—Online).Participants 110 individuals completed the programme (68.1% female, 88.1% White British, age: 46.3 (10.8) years, weight: 86.5 (21.1) kg, height: 169.3 (10.0) cm). 47.2% of patients reported comorbidities.Intervention Following an assessment by a healthcare professional, individuals with long COVID were offered access to the Your COVID Recovery® digital programme. The programme comprises of four stages for the participants to progress through. Participants are encouraged to record severity of their symptoms and amount of activity they are doing on a symptom and an activity tracker. Resources and interactive material on managing symptoms of long COVID are available throughout each stage.Primary outcome measures Questionnaire (EuroQ0l 5-Dimension 5-Level (EQ-5D-5L) and the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease assessment test (CAT)) data were extracted from the site from 11 March 2021 until 9 November 2021.Results Participants were on the programme for 8.6 (4.3) weeks. There was a statistically significant increase in EQ-5D-5L visual analogue scale (VAS) score (pre=48.8 (19.5); post=59.9 (22.1); p

Lattice structures have great potential for lightweight additively manufactured parts. This paper presents a bio-inspired functionally graded lattice structure optimisation approach for compliance minimisation of statically loaded structures. Topology optimisation determines the optimal relative density distribution within a design space and the associated strain fields. A lattice structure is then generated within this design space, comprised of trusses aligned with principal strain trajectories. The trusses have a rectangular cross-section, resulting in three size variable per node during the final sizing step. A minimum feature size is implemented so that the designs are suited to the particular additive manufacturing process print resolution. The presented approach is further demonstrated to efficiently solve problems with multiple load cases and produce lattice topologies that mimic those found in bone. The optimised lattice structure examples presented are on average 12% less stiff in comparison to a conventional SIMP topology optimisation approach. However, they are well suited to multifunctional applications such as heat transfer where the surface area is increased by an average of 94%. The optimised lattice structures are also shown to be able to eliminate additive manufacturing support structure requirements.

Introduction COPD affects the small airways and is associated with ventilation heterogeneity. There are little data on the multiple-breath washout (MBW) in patients with COPD, particularly the variability over 8 weeks, using a shortened sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) washout. This work evaluated the repeatability of the lung clearance index (LCI)1/40 and LCI1/20 among subjects with COPD and compared to spirometry and clinical markers. Methods The MBW was performed on patients with COPD to determine ventilation heterogeneity globally (LCI), at conductive (Scond) and acinar (Sacin) levels. The LCI was repeated in triplicate and measured at a traditional 1/40th washout and retrofitted to a shortened 1/20th end tidal SF6 concentration washout. Tests were repeated after 20 min and 8 weeks to determine within and between visit repeatability and compared with spirometry. Results Eighty-four subjects were recruited to perform LCI and spirometry with 20 subjects performing the repeatability protocol. There were weak correlations between forced expiratory volume in 1 s ( FEV1) per cent predicted and LCI1/40th r=−0.311 (p=0.02), and LCI1/20th r=−0.40 (p

Background: Following scandals such as Winterbourne view, Department of Health, (A national response to Winterbourne View Hospital, 2012) seeks changes in challenging behaviour services. A key part of this change is ensuring people with learning disabilities who use challenging behaviour services have more personalised support and their voices are heard. Materials and Methods: This article describes a study that used focus groups to explore challenging behaviour and challenging behaviour services with people with learning disabilities who used community-based challenging behaviour services. We analysed the focus groups using thematic analysis. Results: We found three main themes--Engaging with service terminology: the language of Challenging Behaviour; Locating and Framing behaviour; and Engaging with Professionals. Conclusion: People with learning disabilities who receive challenging behaviour services are able to participate in focus groups and tell us about their experiences. Further consideration is required concerning how people with learning disabilities experience their engagement with challenging behaviour services. This study has led to a larger study currently in progress.

This article uses primary and secondary research on educational, social, and political theory in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to argue that the history of service-learning must be revised to include Jane Addams' pioneering work. A full consideration of Addams significantly revises understanding the origins of service-learning, suggesting service-learning has its origins as a practice, not a theory; in the community, not the university; and among women, not men. Further, Addams' work counterbalances the contemporary effort to justify service-learning largely on its scientifically verifiable outcomes.

Introduction The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has seen many cardiopulmonary rehabilitation services delivering programmes remotely. One area of concern is how to assess exercise capacity when a supervised exercise test is not possible. The aim of this review was to examine the relationship between functional exercise tests and recommended exercise tests for cardiopulmonary rehabilitation. Methods A rapid narrative review was carried out. Searches were conducted by two of the study authors. The study had the following features. Participants: adults, all with long-term conditions; intervention: any/none; outcome: Duke activity status index (DASI), sit to stand (STS, 30 s, 1 min and 5 repetitions), short physical performance battery (SPPB), 4-metre gait speed (4MGS) or step test (Chester/others) AND directly compared to one of the recommended exercise tests for cardiopulmonary rehabilitation: 6-min walk test (6MWT), incremental shuttle walk test (ISWT) or cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) in terms of reporting agreement/correlation; Study design: primary research only, controlled trials or observational studies. Results Sixteen articles out of 249 screened were included (n=2271 patients). Overall, there were weak–strong correlations for the included tests with a recommended exercise test (r=0.38–0.85). There were few reported issues with feasibility or safety of the tests. However, all tests were supervised in a clinical setting. The test that had the highest correlation with the field walking test was the 4MGS with the ISWT (r=0.78) and with the 6MWT (r=0.85). Discussion The 4MGS has the highest correlation with routine measures of exercise tolerance. However, it may be difficult to standardise in a remote assessment or to prescribe exercise from. Clinicians should strive for face-to-face standardised exercise tests where possible to be able to guide exercise prescription.

Introduction Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterised by expiratory flow limitation resulting in symptomatic dyspnoea, sputum retention and ventilation heterogeneity. Changes in breathing mechanics affect the ability of respiratory muscles to respond to the ventilatory demands, increasing the sensation of dyspnoea. A high-frequency airway oscillating device has been developed to combine respiratory muscle training and oscillations to improve dyspnoea and sputum retention within COPD. Methods and analysis Patients with symptomatic COPD (Medical Research Council Breathlessness scale grade ≥2) will be recruited to a double-blind, randomised, sham-controlled trial. Both groups will follow an 8-week intervention phase using the device three times per day for 5 min at a time. This will be recorded in a self-reported diary. The device applies a flow resistive load and oscillations for combined training. Those receiving the sham device will follow the same protocol; however, the mechanism of action will be removed from the device. Improvements in the Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire-Dyspnoea domain will be the primary outcome measure. Secondary outcomes will explore respiratory muscle function, health-related quality of life, exercise capacity and physical activity. The Lung Clearance Index will be an exploratory outcome. Outcomes will be explored using the most appropriate statistical test, dependent on the sample distribution. Focus groups will be an exploratory outcome and analysed by thematic analysis. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval has been obtained from the East Midlands-Leicester South Research Ethics Committee and the trial has been registered through the ISRCTN Registry. The study results will be disseminated to the appropriate stakeholders through presentations, conferences and peer-reviewed journals.

Although the exact prevalence of post-COVID-19 condition (also known as long COVID) is unknown, more than a third of patients with COVID-19 develop symptoms that persist for more than 3 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection. These sequelae are highly heterogeneous in nature and adversely affect multiple biological systems, although breathlessness is a frequently cited symptom. Specific pulmonary sequelae, including pulmonary fibrosis and thromboembolic disease, need careful assessment and might require particular investigations and treatments. COVID-19 outcomes in people with pre-existing respiratory conditions vary according to the nature and severity of the respiratory disease and how well it is controlled. Extrapulmonary complications such as reduced exercise tolerance and frailty might contribute to breathlessness in post-COVID-19 condition. Non-pharmacological therapeutic options, including adapted pulmonary rehabilitation programmes and physiotherapy techniques for breathing management, might help to attenuate breathlessness in people with post-COVID-19 condition. Further research is needed to understand the origins and course of respiratory symptoms and to develop effective therapeutic and rehabilitative strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the greatest battles of the Great Patriotic and also the World War II took place on the outskirts of the capital of Nazi Germany on April 16, 1945. Three magor fronts - 1st Belorussian, 2nd Byelorussian, 1st Ukrainian - and four tank armies were involved. They were not used as highly mobile groups to enter Berlin from the north and north-west, they were sent first to break powerful enemy defenses, and then to wage battles on the streets. The Supreme Command and the commanders of the 1st Byelorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts understood the inevitability of heavy losses in tanks and troops, but deliberately took this step. The aim was not only a speedy capture of the German capital and the end of the war, but also to be ahead of allies on their way to Berlin. The article deals with the planning and preparation for the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation, the use of 2nd Guards Tank Army, who played along with other tank divisions a magor role in the success of this operation.

One of the greatest battles of the Great Patriotic and also the World War II took place on the outskirts of the capital of Nazi Germany on April 16, 1945. Three magor fronts - 1st Belorussian, 2nd Byelorussian, 1st Ukrainian - and four tank armies were involved. They were not used as highly mobile groups to enter Berlin from the north and north-west, they were sent first to break powerful enemy defenses, and then to wage battles on the streets. The Supreme Command and the commanders of the 1st Byelorussian and 1st Ukrainian fronts understood the inevitability of heavy losses in tanks and troops, but deliberately took this step. The aim was not only a speedy capture of the German capital and the end of the war, but also to be ahead of allies on their way to Berlin. The article deals with the planning and preparation for the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation, the use of 2nd Guards Tank Army, who played along with other tank divisions a magor role in the success of this operation.

Dickson disputed the defense's argument that Arnold's promise to obey the law dissolved his plural marriage. Because of the Snow decision handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court in February 1887, holding that unlawful cohabitation was one continuous offense and could not be segregated into several offenses, Arnold was released from prison after serving only five months.[14] The problem of what obeying the law meant and how to end a polygamous marriage not recognized by law dogged Mormons throughout the 1880s. The clerk of the hotel testified that Arnold had signed for the two rooms as O. P. Arnold and Mr. Arnold. But Arnold had not done this, and his traveling with Fannie to Ogden and writing his name on the register for that of his plural wife should alone convict him.[11] Judge Charles S. Zane was more moderate than Dickson in his instructions to the jury. [Extracted from the article]

Institutions of higher education are complicated, unwieldy things. This is part of their beauty, but it is also part of their difficulty, for their complications make them slow to change, even when the value of change is widely agreed upon. Whether change grows from a campus-wide mandate with strong support, or is the aspiration of a small group of people, the authors of this paper state that those leading change would do well to consider the implications of change models that rely on social networks and social connections for their implementation. Presented as an example is Brigham Young University's Freshman Academy (FA), a learning community initiative for first-year students. The central assumption of Freshman Academy and other learning communities efforts in the USA is that students will learn better if they build strong social and intellectual networks amongst themselves, and if the curricula of their courses make sense when considered together.

Summarizes findings from a study in which students followed a variety of pathways to civic engagement. The findings from the study suggest that while service-learning is not necessarily more effective than other methods in influencing student attitudes about civic life, it does influence the way students think citizens should act in a democracy. (SWM)

Curatorial functions, born with the modern museum’s emergence during the eighteenth century and in particular with the nascent concepts of inventorying and cataloguing collections, are organically linked to the figure of the person in charge of drawing up such inventories and catalogues, known in France as a ‘conservateur’, a curator. But the profession of registrar―in the current sense of the term―emerged later, at the end of the twentieth century. It is rooted in the development, during the late 1980s, of new support and operational functions within the museum, a result of increasing specialisation in culture and heritage employment combined with increasing professionalism inspired by the Anglo-Saxon model of registration. We will describe the emergence of this registrar profession in the 1980s and its maturation at the turn of the century, marked by greater institutional recognition. This included included the definition of a registrars’ tasks and activities, the formalisation of their employment contexts, the structuration of desk or collection management services, the emergence of seminars and lectures and the creation of professional associations. Beyond the recognition of a profession which is now well defined in the institutional landscape, some recent developments also suggest deeper changes still to come, such as issues regarding specialisation claims, the emergence of diplomas and professional training programmes, competition and/or collaboration with other actors in museum teams. These changes are crucial to understand for young staff entering their profession in an era of profound change in the museum world where risk management, versatility, and adaptability skills have become essential for a concerted practice of conservation.